How to Make an Interior Design Color Board

See how the room will look once complete by making a design color board with finish samples.

An interior design color board is one of the easiest ways to see how a remodeled room will look, decide what finishes you want to use or keep track of your plans for the space. You can get everything you need for the board itself from an arts-and-crafts store as well as many big-box retailers. For finish swatches and samples, including fabrics, flooring, paint colors and stains, the majority of manufacturers provide samples to customers either for free or for a small charge.

1

Collect samples of each finish you plan to use in the room, as well as one or two inspiration photos or a sketch of the proposed remodel, if you have one.

2

Separate the finishes by those you want to keep flush against the board and those you want to raise. There are several options for this. Keep the inspiration photos or sketches of the space at a higher level than the finishes, or raise any softer, lighter finishes, such as fabric swatches or paint card cutouts, while placing heavier tile or wood swatches directly to the main board to create balance.

3

Cut enough pieces of foam board to size for each swatch or sample you want to raise, using a T-square and utility knife. Work over a rubber mat to protect the table you’re working on, and use the T-square as a guide for the knife. When cutting foam board, make several shallow cuts, rather than trying to cut through the board in one swipe, for the cleanest line.

4

Attach the swatches to each piece of foam board with a small dab of rubber cement. For fabrics, use a glue stick to avoid ruining the fabric with a wetter, stronger adhesive.

5

Create a border for the color board, if desired. Draw a 24-inch by 36-inch outline on the back of a piece of colored presentation board if it is bigger than this. Draw a second 1- to 2-inch outline inside the first outline, creating a picture frame. Cut the board to size, using the outermost square as a guide, with a T-square and utility knife.

6

Cut along the smaller outline on the presentation board, creating a cutout inside. This will leave you with a piece of board resembling a picture frame. Attach the border to the foam board with rubber cement.

7

Place your blank or bordered foam board piece on a flat, solid work surface. Lay out the photos, sketches and samples to find an arrangement that is both visually appealing and gives the best representation of how the room will look. There are several ways to do this, although there’s plenty of room for creativity. The first is to center a sketch of the room on the board, and then place the swatches around the photo, roughly in the location they appear on the sketch. For example, wood floor or tile samples would go toward the bottom of the board, right underneath a sketch of the room. Another option is to arrange the samples and swatches in the way that they would appear in the room; for example, a sample of the ceiling color and photos of the lighting choices at the top of the board, paint colors and fabric swatches toward the center and flooring swatches near the bottom creates a logical flow. Anchor these with inspiration photos for the space at the corners of the board.

8

Attach the photos and samples to the board using rubber cement or a glue stick. For any foam pieces, rubber cement is ideal. For fabrics that will come in direct contact with the adhesive, a glue stick is best.

9

Create labels for each finish, if desired. You can simply indicate where the finish will go (i.e., which window a fabric swatch of the curtains will hang on), or actually name the color and manufacturer of the finish. The former works best in residential settings, while the latter is often used in commercial interior design. You can also skip labels all together, especially if using a sketch of the room as the center of the color board. Print the labels on label paper, or if you’re comfortable with your handwriting, label the board directly on the foam or write out labels on label stickers and place these on the boards as desired.

10

Let all of the adhesive dry overnight. Clean up the board by carefully scraping off any stray adhesive with the utility knife, and closing any frayed edges on fabric swatches with a small swipe of a glue stick.

Things You Will Need

Finish samples and swatches

Scissors

2 pieces of 24-inch by 36-inch foam board

Colored presentation board, at least 24 inches by 36 inches

T-square ruler

Utility knife

Rubber mat

Rubber cement

Glue stick

Labels

Tip

If you’re using the color board to make decisions on finish choices, use peel-and-stick hook and loop fastener to attach the finishes to the board rather than adhesive. This way, you can switch things around and look at different finishes together before making your final decision.

Warning

Always wear gloves and work in a well-ventilated area when working with rubber cement.